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China
Ancient Chinese chronicles recount the lives and
exploits of a succession of dynastic rulers that extends back to the
twenty-fourth century BC. However, the only surviving scrolls date from more than
2,000 years later, so how much is fact and how much is reverent fiction may
never be known. These early dynasties were drawn from a blending of small
native tribes that developed and expanded until something approaching modern
China had been created. |
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Yangshao & Longshan Cultures
fl c. 3000 BC
Relics from these early Chinese cultures have been
found at the Erlitou Bronze Age site in Henan Province. |
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The Legendary Period
The Age of the
Five Rulers, lasting for 647 years. |
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Hsia / Xia Dynasty / Erlitou Culture
2205 - 1766 BC (1962 - 1523 BC)
Upper China; Longhan
Period. Yu the Great was the founder of the Xia Dynasty, the first historical dynasty of China.
His capital
was probably at Erlitou. There were sixteen succeeding emperors in this line.
The Erlitou Bronze Age site in Henan Province has its heyday during this
period, which is known as the Erlitou culture. |
2205 BC |
Yu the Great |
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? - 1766 BC |
Jie |
A tyrant. Overthrown by the
Shang. |
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c.1766 BC |
Jie is a tyrant. He is overthrown at the Battle of
Mingtiao by the Shang tribe which
lives in the lower regions of the Yellow River. |
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Shang Dynasty
(Yin Shang) / Bronze Age
1766 - 1122 BC (1523 - 1028 BC)
The Shang were originally a tribe that occupied the lower regions of the
Yellow River during the period of dominance of the
Xia dynasty. During the tyrannical
rule of Jie, the last of the Xia, the Shang established their own dynasty
under 'King Tang'. The dates given for this are varied, as several alternate
chronologies have been put forward. Apart from 1766 BC, two further dates,
1675 BC or 1523 BC, have been proposed. The Shang dynasty lasted for at
least five hundred years and was witness to thirty different emperors. As the capital of the Shang
was later based in Yin (modern Xiaotun Village, in Anyang City, Henan
Province), the dynasty is also known as the 'Yin Shang'.
Chinese names are often subject to some revision over time (perhaps most
famously with the Peking of the 1950s becoming the Beijing of the 2000s).
The names of this dynasty's rulers is no different, so two versions are
offered here. The dynasty's start and end dates cover a span of 644 years.
However, the number of years that each ruler was on the throne amounts to
663, providing a discrepancy of nineteen years that cannot otherwise be
accounted for. |
1766 BC - ? |
Ch'eng-tang / Shang
Tang |
Founded the dynasty (or in 1675 BC). Reigned 30 years. |
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c.1700 BC |
Dated to approximately 1700 BC, the palace discovered by
archaeologists at the Erlitou Bronze Age site in Henan province may be a
prototype for later Shang places of worship. It is the best-preserved palace
ever found at the site, with rammed-earth foundations and at least three
courtyards, and covers a total area of more than 2,100 square metres
(yards). The Erlitou site also contains cultural relics ranging from the
Yangshao and
Longshan cultures and the
Xia dynasty.
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The Erlitou palace was at its height during the Xia dynasty, but
was inherited by the Shang
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? / Wai Bing |
Son. Reigned 3 years. |
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? / Zong Ren |
Brother. Reigned 4 years. |
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T'ai-chia / Tai
Jia |
Grandson of Tang. Reigned 33 years. |
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Wu-ling / Wo Ding |
Son. Reigned 29 years. |
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T'ai-keng / Tai
Geng |
Brother. Reigned 25 years. |
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Hsiao-chia / Xiao
Jia |
Son. Reigned 36 years. |
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Yung-chi / Yong
Ji |
Brother. Reigned 12 years. |
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The age of harmony and peace that had been ushered in and
maintained by the first few Shang rulers suddenly wanes
under the latest. Conditions begin to deteriorate and there are multiple
attempts by the emperor's own family to overthrow him and take command of
the kingdom. Social problems begin to emerge and the emperor's power
gradually declines. |
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T'ai-wu / Tai Wu |
Brother. Reigned 75 years. |
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Chung-ting /
Zhong Ding |
Son. Reigned 11 years. |
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Wai-jen / Wai Ren |
Brother. Reigned 15 years. |
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Tsien-chia / He
Dan Jia |
Brother. Reigned 9 years. |
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Tsu-yi / Zu Yi |
Son. Reigned 19 years. |
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Tsu-yi's reign of almost two decades witnesses the
restoration of the dynasty's prosperity. |
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Tsu-hsin / Zu Xin |
Son. Reigned 16 years. |
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Ch'iang-chia / Wo
Jia |
Brother. Reigned 20 years. |
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Tsu-ting / Zu
Ding |
Son of Tsu-hsin. Reigned 32 years. |
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Nan-keng / Nang
Geng |
Son of Ch'iang-chia. Reigned 29 years. |
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Hu-chia / Yang
Jia |
Son of Tsu-ting. Reigned 7 years. |
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The country declines once more during the reign of Hu-chia. |
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P'an-keng / Pan
Geng |
Brother. Reigned 28 years. |
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c.1380 BC |
P'an-keng moves the capital to Yin, thereby
creating the amended form of the dynasty's name, Yin Shang. The country
remains prosperous during his reign, experiencing a golden age. Unfortunately, that prosperity is
short-lived, and soon fails under the next ruler. |
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Hsiao-hsin / Xiao
Xin |
Brother. Reigned 21 years. |
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Hsiao-yi / Xiao
Yi |
Brother. Reigned 21 years. |
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Wu-ting / Wu Ding |
Reigned 59 years. First historically verifiable king. |
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Wu-ting is the greatest of the Shang after P'an-keng.
He enlarges the territory under his control by conducting a war in Guifang
that lasts for three years. He subsequently takes Dapeng and Tunwei. Social
productivity is developed to a high level, including aspects of textile
manufacturing, medicine, and astronomy. His reign is one of great
achievements. |
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Tsu-kêng / Zu
Geng |
Son. Reigned 7 years. |
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Tsu-chia / Zu Jia |
Brother. Reigned 33 years. |
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Lin-hsin / Lin
Xin |
Son. Reigned 6 years. |
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K'ang-tin / Geng
Din |
Brother. Reigned 6 years. |
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Wu-yi / Wu Yi |
Son. Reigned 4 years. |
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Wên-wu-ting |
Uncertain. Not included in all lists. May be the same as
Tai Ding. |
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Ti-hsin / Tai
Ding |
Son of Wu-yi. Reigned 3 years. |
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Ti-yi / Di Yi |
Son. Reigned 37 years. |
? - 1122 BC |
? / Zhou |
Reigned 33 years. The last Shang emperor. |
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The country is in turmoil and vassals from other
countries begin to rebel. Despite the turmoil and the impending uprising,
Zhou leads a luxurious life and tortures both his ministers and his people.
This intensifies conflicts across the kingdom and the dynasty is finally
overthrown by Wu (chief of the Zhou
tribe) at the Battle of Muye, ending the long reign of the Shang. Zhou
commits suicide, but the victorious Wu allows Zhou's son to govern the Shang
tribe as a vassal. |
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Chou / Zhou / Shu Dynasty
/ Bronze Age
1122 - 255 BC (1027 - 256 BC)
Under the Zhou, people began to use the twelve branches system to record
time and set solar terms to guide agriculture. An accurate eclipse is record
in this period, and branches of medicine appear. |
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Early Zhou Period
1122 - 771 BC |
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Western Zhou
1122 - 722 BC
Capital: Hao.
Eastern Zhou
1122 - 722 BC
Capital: Chengzhou originally, then Luoyang. |
1122 - 1119 BC |
Wu Wang |
Western Zhou. |
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1122 - ? BC |
Wugeng Lufu |
Son of Zhou Shang Vassal ruler of the
Shang. |
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1119 BC |
Following the death of Wu Wang, the Shang, probably still
under Wugeng Lufu, join the Three Governors' Rebellion. Wu's brother, Zhou
Gongdan, acts as regent for the king's young son and plays a major role in
defeating the rebellion and consolidating the rule of the Zhou. Thanks to
his fiefdom being based around the Zhou capital of Chengzhou, Gongdan is
also known as Zhou Gong, Zhou Gong Dan, Shu Dan, and Zhou Dan. |
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1119 - ? BC |
Chêng Wang |
Son. |
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1119 - 1112 BC |
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Zhou Gongdan /
Chou Kung-tan |
Uncle and regent. Known colloquially as 'The Duke of
Zhou'. |
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K'ang Wang |
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c.950 BC |
Chao Wang |
Western Zhou. |
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Mu Wang |
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Kung Wang |
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I Wang |
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Hsiao Wang |
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I Wang |
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878 BC |
Li Wang |
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841 BC |
First solid date in
Chinese chronology. |
827 BC |
Hsüan Wang |
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781 - 771 BC |
Yu Wang |
Western Zhou. |
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Middle Zhou Period
771 - 473 BC |
771 BC |
P'ing Wang |
Eastern Zhou. |
722 - 481 BC |
Spring and Autumn Period. |
719 BC |
Huan Wang |
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696 BC |
Chuang Wang |
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681 BC |
Hsi Wang |
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676 BC |
Hui Wang |
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651 BC |
Hsiang Wang |
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618 BC |
Ch'ing Wang |
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612 BC |
K'uang Wang |
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606 BC |
Ting Wang |
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585 BC |
Chien Wang |
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571 BC |
Ling Wang |
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544 BC |
Ching Wang |
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519 BC |
Ching Wang |
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Warring States Era
481 - 221 BC |
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Late Zhou Period
472 - 256 BC |
475 BC |
Yüan Wang |
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468 BC |
Chêng-ting Wang |
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440 BC |
K'ao Wang |
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425 BC |
Wei-lieh Wang |
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401 BC |
An Wang |
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c.400 BC |
The dynasty collapses and
fragments. |
375 BC |
Lieh Wang |
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368 BC |
Hsien Wang |
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320 BC |
Shên-ching Wang |
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314 - 256 BC |
Nan Wang |
King of Chou. |
311 - 279 BC |
Chao-hsiang Wang |
King of Yen. |
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Ch'in / Qin Dynasty
255 - 207 BC
The kingdom of Qin was the westernmost of the seven kingdoms, forming a wide
north-south barrier to the barbarian lands beyond, and bordering the kingdom
of Zhao to the east. In his time as the third ruler of the dynasty, Wang Chêng was the most feared
leader, regarded as a common threat by all the other kingdoms. His ruthless
drive to unite China saw him conquer the others one by one. (There are
numerous tales of assassins sent to kill the king, one of which is
depicted in the Chinese feature film, Hero / Ying Xiong.) |
250 BC |
Hsiao-wên Wang |
King of Qin. |
249 BC |
Chuang-hsing Wang |
King of Qin. |
247 - 221 BC |
Wang Chêng |
King of Qin.
Upon the reunification of China, he changed his name. |
222 BC |
The
Qin conquer the Yen/Yan, who also rule Korean
Chosen. |
221 BC |
The Warring States Period
comes to an end as the Qin conquer the last remaining kingdoms and
unify China. Emperor Shi Huangdi begins construction of the Great Wall to
keep out the barbarians and ensure peace for China. He also
creates a terracotta army to safeguard him in the afterlife.
In around 220
BC, Greco-Bactrians may lead expeditions as far
as Kashgar and Urumqi in Chinese Turkestan, establishing the first known
contacts between China and the West. The name Daxia appears in Chinese
records from around this time to designate a mythical kingdom in the West,
possibly referring to Bactria itself. |
221 - 210 BC |
Shi Huangdi /
Shih-huang-ti / Qin Shihuang |
Formerly Wang Chêng. Reunified China. |
210 - 207 BC |
Erh-shih-huang-ti |
Puppet ruler. Second
son. Committed suicide. |
207 BC |
? |
Puppet ruler. |
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Early Han (Western) Dynasty
207 BC - AD 25
Travellers to Japan under the Wei Dynasty
reported on its early development as a kingdom. |
207 - 202 BC |
Qin/Han War. |
207 -202 BC |
Kao Tsu |
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202 - 195 BC |
Liu Bang |
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195 - 180 BC |
Empress Lü |
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194 BC |
Korean Old Chosen
rebels against
Chinese rule and regains independence as
Wiman Chosen. |
195 - 187 BC |
Hui Ti |
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187 - 179 BC |
Lu Hou |
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179 - 156 BC |
Wên Ti |
Son of Liu Bang. |
156 - 140 BC |
Ching Ti |
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140 - 87 BC |
Wu Di / Wu Ti |
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c.140 - 130 BC |
Following a long migration from the Chinese border in about 165 BC, the Tocharians/Yuezhi
follow the Scythians in invading
Bactria.
The Yuezhi are later united under one of their tribes, the
Kushans, to
form an empire which stretches into
India. |
126 BC |
The name Daxia is used by the explorer Zhang Qian to designate
Bactria. |
111 BC |
The Chieu
rulers of Nam Viet are defeated and conquered by China, and only re-emerge
in AD 544. |
90s BC |
The
nomadic Yancai
are recorded by Sima Qian, centred on the northern shore of the Aral Sea.
Their territory lays to the north-west of the Kangju nomadic federation, to
whom they hold some similarities in terms of customs. |
86 - 73 BC |
Chao Ti |
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73 - 48 BC |
Hsüan Ti |
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48 - 32 BC |
Yuan Ti |
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32 - 6 BC |
Ch'eng Ti |
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6 BC - AD 1 |
Ai Ti |
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AD 1 |
P'ing Ti |
Eight year-old. |
1 - 5 |
Wang Mang |
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5 - 9 |
Ju-tzu |
Child. |
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Hsin / Xin (New) Dynasty
AD 9 - 23 |
9 - 23 |
Wang Mang |
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Later Han (Eastern) Restoration
AD 23 - 220 |
23 - 55 |
Guang wu di /
Kuang-wu Ti |
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55 - 76 |
Ming Ti |
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61 - 67 |
Kashyapa Matanga introduces Buddhism to China. |
76 - 89 |
Chang Ti |
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89 - 106 |
Ho Ti |
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c.90 - 112 |
The Kushan
emperor, Kadphises II, expands the borders of his empire up to the limits of
Chinese influence, and even sends ambassadors to the imperial court. |
106 - 107 |
Shang Ti |
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107 - 126 |
An Ti |
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c.125 |
By
now, in Chinese records, the Yancai have become the
Alanliao
(or the 'old Yancai') and have expanded towards the Caspian Sea. They appear
to remain dependent upon the Kangju. |
126 - 145 |
Shun Ti |
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c.132 |
The successor to the
Kushan throne, Kanishka, is
apparently killed by his own soldiers during one of his military expeditions
to China. |
145 - 146 |
Ch'ung Ti |
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146 - 147 |
Chih Ti |
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147 - 168 |
Huan Ti |
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168 - 189 |
Lingdi / Ling Ti |
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189 - 220 |
Xiandi / Hsien Ti |
Puppet. Period of anarchy. |
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Warlords of the Three Kingdoms
AD 220 - 265 |
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Minor Han (Shu Han) Dynasty
AD 221 - 265 |
220 - 223 |
Cao Pei / Chao-lieh
Ti (Wei Dyn) |
Wei King. |
223 - 263 |
Hou Chu |
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263 |
The Shu kingdom is subjugated. |
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Wei Dynasty
AD 220 - 265
Travellers to Japan under the Wei Dynasty
reported on its early development as a kingdom. |
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c.168 - 207 |
A Chinese chronicle known as Sanguozhi records that
the
Kushan king, Vasudeva I sends a
tribute to Cao Rui of Wei. The vacuum created by the Chinese retreat in
Central Asia is apparently filled by Vasudeva. |
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244 |
The
Wei capture the capital of Korean
Koguryo. |
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c.240s - 250s |
The
Alans are
no longer dependent upon the Kangju, as recorded by the Weilüe
history of the Wei dynasty. |
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Wu Dynasty
AD 220 - 258 |
265 - 589 |
China is split into
North and South kingdoms. |
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Sui Dynasty
AD 590 - 617 |
590 - 604 |
Yang Jian / Chien(Wen Ti) |
Usurper General. |
603 |
The Early Li Dynasty of
Nam Viet
is conquered, and remains under Chinese control until 939. |
604 - 617 |
Yangdi / Yang Kuang |
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612 |
The
Korean state of
Koguryo is invaded,
but the Chinese are defeated. |
617 |
Kung Ti |
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Tang / T'ang Dynasty
AD 617 - 689 |
617 - 626 |
Li Yuan (Gaozu / Kao Tsu) |
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626 - 649 |
Taizong (T'ai Tsung / Li Shih-min) |
|
630 - 700 |
The legendary life of Ti Jen-chieh (Di Renjie), or Judge Dee.
Nestorian missionaries arrive in Ch'ang-an in 635.
The conquest of the Tarim Basin takes place in 645. |
645 - 647 |
An
attempt to occupy Korean
Koguryo
fails. |
647 |
The emperor sends an emissary to the Indian
kingdom of Thaneshwar
expecting it to meet Harsha Vardhana, but finding a usurper, Arjuna, on the
throne. |
649 - 683 |
Gaozong / Kao Tsung |
|
659 - 665 |
Transoxania (above
and east of Persia) is occupied. |
660 |
The
Korean kingdom of
Paekche is conquered. |
668 - 676 |
Korean Silla is occupied.
Koguryo falls. |
683 - 689 |
Chung Tsung |
Son of Kao Tsung. |
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Chou / Zhou Dynasty
AD 689 - 705 |
689 - 705 |
Empress Wu Zhao |
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Wei Dynasty
AD 705 - 710 |
705 - 710 |
? |
Name unknown. |
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Tang Dynasty Restoration
AD 710 - 906 |
710 |
Chung Tsun |
Restored. |
710 - 712 |
Jui Tsung |
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712 - 756 |
Hsuan Tsung / Xuanzong |
|
751 |
The battle of Talas.
Arabs defeat
the Chinese under Kao Hsien-chih,
but advance no further into Central Asia. |
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Greater Yen Dynasty
AD 756 - 761 |
|
756 - 757 |
General An Lushan |
Usurper rebel. |
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757 |
? |
Son. |
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Tang Dynasty Continued |
756 - 762 |
Su Tsung |
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763 |
The Chinese lose the Tarim Basin to the Tibetans. |
762 - 780 |
Daizong / T'ai Tsung |
|
780 - 805 |
Tê Tsung |
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805 - 806 |
Shun Tsung |
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806 - 821 |
Hsien Tsung |
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821 - 825 |
Mu Tsung |
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825 - 827 |
Ching Tsung |
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827 - 841 |
Wen Tsung |
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841 - 847 |
Wu Tsung |
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847 - 860 |
Hsüan Tsung |
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860 - 874 |
Yi Tsung |
|
874 - 889 |
Hsi Tsung |
|
889 - 904 |
Chao Tsung |
|
904 - 906 |
Chao-hsüan Ti |
|
907 - 1227 |
Tartar tribes
encroach on China's borders and found several of their own dynasties, ruling areas of
China itself. This leads to much instability within Chinese China, and a period of civil
war. |
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Liao (Khitan) Tartar Dynasty
AD 907 - 1125 |
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1125 |
The Liao are displaced by the
Kin/Chin
and retreat into Central Asia where they form a short-lived empire, the
Qara-Khitai. |
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Civil War Period of the Five Dynasties
AD 907 - 960 |
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1. Liang (Posterior) Dynasty
AD 907 - 923 |
907 - 915 |
T'ai Tau |
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915 - 923 |
Mo Ti |
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2. T'ang (Posterior) Dynasty
AD 923 - 936 |
923 - 926 |
Chuang Tsung |
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926 - 934 |
Ming Tsung |
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934 - 936 |
Min Ti |
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3. Tsin / Jin (Posterior) Dynasty
AD 936 - 947 |
936 - 943 |
Kao Tsu |
|
939 |
Nam Viet
briefly reasserts its independence with the founding of the
Ngo Dynasty. |
943 - 947 |
Ch'u Ti |
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4. Han (Posterior) Dynasty
AD 947 - 951 |
947 - 951 |
Kao Tsu |
Same as Tsin ruler? |
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5. Chou / Zhou (Posterior) Dynasty
AD 951 - 960 |
951 - 954 |
T'ai Tsu |
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954 - 960 |
Shih Tsung |
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Sung / Song (Northern) Dynasty
AD 960 - 1127 |
960 |
Chao Kuang-yin |
Re-imposed unity. |
960 - 976 |
T'ai Tsu |
|
965 - 968 |
Nam Viet is
briefly controlled by China. |
976 - 998 |
T'ai Tsung |
|
981 |
An
attempted invasion of
Nam Viet
is repulsed. |
998 - 1023 |
Chên Tsung |
|
1023 - 1064 |
Jên Tsung |
|
1064 - 1068 |
Ying Tsung |
|
1068 - 1086 |
Shên Tsung |
|
1086 - 1101 |
Chê Tsung |
|
1101 - 1126 |
Hui Tsung |
|
1126 - 1127 |
Ch'in Tsung |
|
1127 |
Displaced by the
Kin / Chin. |
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Hsi-Hsia (Tangut) Tartar State
AD 990 - (1032) -1227 |
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1226 - 1227 |
Conquered by Mongols. |
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Kin / Chin / Jin (Jurchen / Nü-Chên) Tartar Dynasty
AD 1115 - 1234 |
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1230 - 1234 |
Conquered by Mongols. |
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Liao (Qara-Khitaï) (Western) Tartar Dynasty
AD 1125 - (1141) -1218
After being ousted from China in 1125, the Qara-Khitai ruled the Transoxiana
region from Samarkand. |
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1217 - 1218 |
Conquered by Mongols. |
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Sung / Song (Southern) Dynasty
AD 1127 - 1279 |
1127 - 1163 |
Kao Tsung |
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1163 - 1190 |
Hsiao Tsung |
|
1190 - 1195 |
Kuang Tsung |
|
1195 - 1225 |
Ning Tsung |
|
1225 - 1265 |
Li Tsung |
|
1265 - 1275 |
Tu Tsung |
|
1275 - 1276 |
Kung Tsung |
|
1276 - 1278 |
Tuan Tsung |
|
1278 - 1279 |
Ti Ping |
|
1267 - 1276 |
Conquered by
the Yuan Dynasty of
Mongols. |
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Yuan (Mongolian) Dynasty
AD 1279 - 1368
The Great Khans of the Mongol
empire
took control of China through a series of conquests. Their leader, Temüjin,
was named Chingiz Khan by the Chinese emperor, before his descendants took
direct and full control of China in 1279. |
1267 - 1279 |
The Southern Sung are conquered
and with that the Great Khans of the
Mongols concentrate their rule almost entirely on China itself. |
1279 - 1294 |
Kublai (Qubilai) Khan |
(Shih Tsu 1280) Ruled
China from 1279. |
1274 - 1294 |
Venetian trader Marco Polo arrives in Kanbaliq on a visit to the court of
Kublai Khan. He remains in China for seventeen years, and returns to
Venice
after completing a diplomatic mission for the emperor. His voyage, opening
up new sea routes, contributes to a marked decline in the use of the ancient
Silk Road within 150 years of his return home. |
1294 - 1307 |
Temur Öljeytu Khan |
(Ch'eng Tsung 1295) |
1307 - 1311 |
Qayshan Guluk / Hai-Shan |
(Wu Tsung 1308) |
1311 - 1320 |
Ayurparibhadra Ayurbarwada |
(Jên Tsung 1312) |
1320 - 1323 |
Suddhipala Gege'en / Shidebala |
(Ying Tsung 1321) |
1323 - 1328 |
Yesun-Temur |
(Tai-ting Ti 1324) |
1328 |
Arigaba Aragibag |
|
1328 - 1329 |
Jijaghatu Toq-Temur |
(Ming Tsung 1329) |
1329 |
Qoshila Qutuqtu |
(Wen Tsung? 1330?) |
1329 - 1332 |
Jijaghatu Toq-Temur |
|
1332 - 1333 |
Rinchenpal Irinchibal |
|
1333 - 1370 |
Toghan-Temur |
(Shun Ti 1333) Fled to Mongolia. |
1368 |
The Mongols are expelled from China. |
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Ming (Bright) Dynasty
AD 1368 - 1644 |
1368 - 1398 |
T'ai Tsu / Chu Yüan-chang / Taizu |
Ruled most of
southern China from 1366. Hung Wu Era. |
1398 - 1402 |
Civil War between
rival claimants. |
1398 - 1402 |
Hui Ti |
Chien-wen Era. |
1402 - 1425 |
Ch'eng Tsu |
Yung-Lo Era. |
1402 - 1425 |
Ch'eng Tsu moves the capital from Nanking (Nan-ching / Nanjing) to Peking (Pei-ching / Beijing). |
1407 - 1428 |
Nam Viet is
occupied by China. |
1425 - 1246 |
Jen Tsung |
Hung-hsi Era. |
1426 - 1436 |
Hsüan Tsung |
Hsuan-te Era. |
1436 - 1450 |
Ying Tsung |
Cheng-T'ung Era. |
1450 - 1457 |
T'ai Tsung / Ching Ti |
Ching-t'ai Era. |
1457 - 1465 |
Ying Tsung |
Restored. T'ien-shun
Era. |
1465 - 1488 |
Hsien Tsung |
Ch'eng-hua Era. |
1488 - 1506 |
Hsiao Tsung |
Hung-chih Era. |
1506 - 1522 |
Wu Tsung |
Cheng-te Era. |
1522 - 1567 |
Shih Tsung |
Chia-tsing Era. |
1535 - 1557 |
The
Portuguese are allowed to begin trading at Macau in 1535, and by 1557
they are able to establish a permanent base. |
1567 - 1573 |
Mu Tsung / Chu
Tsai-hou |
Lung-ch'ing Era. |
1573 - 1620 |
Shên Tsung / Chu
I-chun |
Wan-Li Era. |
1620 - 1621 |
Kuang Tsung / Chu
Ch'ang-lo |
T'ai-ch'ang Era. |
1621 - 1628 |
Hsi Tsung |
T'ien-ch'i Era. |
1628 - 1644 |
Szu (Kuang) Tsung /
Chu Yu-chien |
Hanged himself upon
Manchu approach. Ch'ung-chen Era. |
1644 |
Pei-ching
is occupied by rebels, the emperor commits suicide, and the rebels are thrown
out by Manchuria. A Manchurian occupation begins in the north, while an
independent remnant of the
Ming briefly survives in the south. |
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Ming (Southern) Dynasty
AD 1644 - 1662 |
1644 - 1645 |
Fu Wang, Prince of Fu
/ Chu Yu-sung |
Hung-kuang Era. |
1645 - 1646 |
Tang Wang / Chu
Yü-chien |
Lung-wu Era. |
1646 - 1662 |
Yung-ming Wang / Chu
Yu-lang |
Yung-li Era. |
1662 |
The emperor is captured in
Burma
in 1661, and executed by Manchus
in 1662. |
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Manchu Ch'ing / Qin (Clear) Dynasty
AD 1644 - 1911 |
1644 - 1662 |
Shih Tsu |
No Era. |
1662 - 1723 |
Shêng Tsu |
K'ang-Hsi Era. |
1723 - 1736 |
Shih Tsung |
Yung-chêng Era. |
1736 - 1796 |
Kao Tsung |
Ch'ien-Lung Era. |
1792 |
Nepalese
expansion is halted by defeat at the hands of the Chinese in Tibet. |
1796 - 1821 |
Jên Tsung |
Chia-ch'ing Era. |
1821 - 1851 |
Hsüan Tsung |
Tao-kuang Era. |
1851 - 1862 |
Wen Tsung |
Hsien-fêng Era. |
1860 |
British troops occupy Beijing, effectively ending the Second Opium War
and humiliating the Ching dynasty. The Taiping rebels operating from their
capital cities of Nanking and Suzhou capture large areas of imperial China,
claiming fully half of it by 1861.The corrupt and ineffective imperial army
is in full retreat on all fronts. Desperate to protect Beijing, the Ching
minister of war, Lord Di, accepts any and all volunteers, bandits and
beggars into the ragtag Ching army. It is a bandit band of 800 men that
forms the Shan Army, a force that is led by General Pang Qing-Yun that will
turn the tide of the war. |
1862 - 1908 |
Tz'u Hsi (Cixi) the
Empress Dowager |
No Era. |
1862 - 1875 |
|
Mu Tsung |
T'ung-chih Era. |
1870 |
After successfully taking Suzhou and then Nanking to end the Taiping
rebellion, on 8 April 1870 General Pang Qing-Yun is assassinated on the way
to his inauguration as governor of Nanking. General Pang's murder remains
one of the Ching dynasty's unsolved crimes (the main events of the rebellion
and the murder are depicted in the Jet Li feature film, The Warlords,
2008). |
1875 - 1909 |
|
Tê Tsung |
Kuang-hsu Era. |
1908 |
On 18 June, Empress Dowager Cixi orders the killing of all foreigners in
China, in support of the Boxer Rebellion. |
1909 - 1911 |
Mo Ti (Pu Yi) |
Hsuan-t'ung Era. |
1911 |
The last Chinese emperor is deposed by republicans. |
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1949 |
The republic of China is conquered by the communist forces of Mao Tse Tung.
The New Republic of China is declared on Taiwan by the exiled General Chiang
Kai Chek. |
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1950 - 1953 |
After
several years of increasingly hostile small scale actions along the
thirty-eighth parallel,
North Korea's
forces attack South
Korea on 25 June 1950. North Korean troops sweep south, capturing most
of the country, but an allied army pushes the North Koreans back to the
Manchurian border. This prompts Communist China to intervene, pouring troops
across the frontier and taking Korea as far south as Seoul. By 1951 the
allies have stabilised a front line around the thirty-eighth parallel and
the remainder of the Korean War consists of heavy fighting in this region,
until a ceasefire is agreed in July 1953. |
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1962 |
A land dispute with India
leads to a Chinese invasion of the country's border territories. Indian
troops face a humiliating defeat. |
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1999 |
The
Portuguese colony of Macau is handed back to China on 20 December. The
enclave is guaranteed a high degree of continued autonomy until 2049 at the
earliest, maintaining everything except defence and foreign affairs for
itself. |
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2010 |
China, a long-term ally of Pakistan, announces that it will set up nuclear
stations in the country similar to those of the
India-US
civilian nuclear deal amidst international condemnation considering
Pakistan's nuclear proliferation record. |
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